Leafs, Lightning Betting Favorites to Win Stanley Cup; Penguins 12-1

Since the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired John Tavares via free agency, hockey bettors have been bullish on the Toronto’s chances to hoise silver for the first time since 1967. The Tampa Bay Lightning, who laid waste to the NHL regular season but were thumped by the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Final, are also heavy betting favorites. The Pittsburgh Penguins are among the favorites, but money has moved away from them since the end of last season.

Pending the outlet, Toronto is a 7-to-1 favorite to win the Cup. Tampa Bay has slipped in many casinos to 8-to-1.

The Winnipeg Jets who were “Marc-Andre Fleury’d” in the Western Conference Final are 9.5-to-1 favorites. Nashville, Vegas, and Washington follow at 11-to-1 odds.

If you make the trip to New Jersey (where sports gambling is legal), the Penguins are either 12-to-1 bets or 14-to-1 to win the Cup.

Long Shots

If you like long shots, there are several teams with talent which aren’t attracting much attention. The Florida Panthers were just a little defense shy of making the playoffs last season and possess a legitimate top-6 forward crew. They are currently 50-to-1.

The Colorado Avalanche, who were a playoff team a season ago, are 40-to-1, as are the New Jersey Devils who led the Metro Division until they faded late last season.

The Tavares-less New York Islanders are 100-to-1, just like the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, and Arizona Coyotes. The Detroit Redwings are a massive 200-to-1 shot to win it all.